Car-replacer.



UNITED STATES PATENT UFFICE.

FREDRICK S. LEONARD AND JUNIUS Gr. DU MOND, OF WINWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-REPLAGER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, F REDRICK S. LEON- ARD and Joanne G. DU Mono, citizens of the United States, residing at Vinwood, in the county of IVayne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Replacers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to car replacers adapted to be used for properly positioning car wheels upon the heads of track rails after the said wheels have been derailed, and has for its object to provide a simple structure whereby the operation as above indicated may be easily and quickly performed.

\Vith this object in view the structure i11- cludes binary members of like configuration and design but with flanges and grooves reversely arranged. The said members being so formed that they may remain in permanent positions adjacent the track rails without interfering with the traflic, or may be carried and temporarily positioned at desired points.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a trans-- verse section on an enlarged scale, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Inasmuch as the members are of the same configuration and design with the exception as above stated that the flanges and grooves of a set of members are reversely arranged on the individual members, a description of one member will answer for both.

Each member is in the form of a casting or forging and as usual in such devices has greater length than breadth. In edge elevation the top of the member inclines upwardly from its ends to its middle portion and the member is provided at its side edge which is remote from the track rail when the member is in position against the same with a flange 1 which extends throughout the length of the member, but which consists of end portions disposed at an angle to each other. In the interest of clearness in the description and operation of this flange its end portions will be referred to as a and Z) and as indicated in the drawings. Each member is provided upon its upper side with a flange 2 which is alined with the portion Z) Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 9, 1911.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911. Serial No. 632,285.

of the flange '1, and a flange 3 which is 1 alined with the portion a of the flange 1.

Between the flanges 2 and 3 each member is provided with an exserted portion 4 which is spaced from the said flanges 2 and 3 forming grooves 5 and 6. The flanges 2 and 3 are also spaced from the portions a and b of the flange 1, whereby the said grooves 5 and 6 are continuous from the inner edges of the flanges 2 and 3 to the outer edge of the exserted portion at.

The outer end of the flange 3 is inclined up somewhat higher than the flange 2 and exserted portion 4 and the intermediate portion of the flange 1 at the point of merger of the parts a and 6 thereof, the object of which will be explained hereinafter in conjunction with the description of the operation of the replacer.

The inner edge portion of the member is adapted to fit snugly between the head of a track rail 8 and the base flange thereof and against the web thereof as indicated at 7, and when in this position the outer ends of the flanges 2 and 3 and the outer side of the exserted portion 4 are spaced from the adjacent side of the head of the rail 8. This is to provide room for the passage of car wheels when the replacer is positioned at the track as a permanent fixture. The member is hollowed out underneath and at a point midway between its ends is provided with a vertical rib 9 which is adapted to bear at its lower edge upon a track tie or the road bed and brace the member. The member is provided at its outer edge and in alinement with its base with a flange 10 having spike recesses 11, and the said member is provided upon its lower surface with prongs 12 which are adapted to embed themselves in the track ties when the member sustains weight.

The operation of the replacer is as follows: Referring to Fig. 1 and presuming that the car wheels have been derailed and at the sides of the rails, indicated at w, and it is desired to replace the said wheels by moving the car in the direction as indicated by the arrow in the said figure. The memhere are placed against the track rails 8 as shown and are secured by means of spikes driven into the ties through the recesses 11. As the car is moved in the direction indicated the wheel at the outer side of the tracli rail passes upon the end portion of the outer member and its flange comes in contact with the portion a of the flange 1 of the said member. The wheel flange moves up along the portion a until the wheel flange strikes the flange 2 when the forward movement of the car will press the outer member closely against the outer side of the track rail 8. At or about this time the tread of the wheel will ride upon the upper surface of the portion a of the flange 1 and the flange of the wheel is directed into the groove 5, and the wheel tread passes over the inclined upper surface of the flange 3 whereby the wheel is elevated with relation to the head of the rail 8 and when the wheel leaves the end of the flange 3 the flange of the wheel will rest directly upon the upper surface of the head of the adjacent track rail 8. In the meantime the wheel which is between the rails 8 passes upon the adjacent end of the member located between the track rails 8, and the flange of the last said wheel comes in contact with the portion Z) of the flange 1 of the last said member. This wheel flange then comes in contact with the edge of the flange 3 and forces the member which is between the rails in close contact with the inner surface of the adjacent track rail 8. The flange of the wheel then enters the groove 6 of the inner member and its tread rides over the flange 3 and the eXserted por tion a until the flange of the wheel comes in contact with the inner side of the adjacent rail 8, when the said tread seats itself upon the head of the rail and the flange of the wheel passes along the side of the rail through the space between the said side and the adjacent end of the flange 2. Inasmuch as the said end of the said flange 2 prevents the wheel flange from moving away from the head of the rail the flange of the wheel first described is pulled within the inner side of the other track rail when the other wheel is properly positioned upon the other rail.

The members of the replacer may be reversed in their positions against the track rails so that they will replace the car wheels irrespective of which side of the track rails they may be located and irrespective of the direction in which it is desired to move the car to eifect the replacing of the wheels. Each member of the replacer is provided at each end of its flange 10 with an opening which may be used as a hand hold or through which a bar may be inserted for prying the member into a desired position at the side of the track rail.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A member for replacing car wheels having in the vicinity of one edge a flange with angularly disposed portions and in the vicinity of its other edge flanges and an exserted port-ion spaced from each other by intervening grooves, the ends of the last mentioned flanges and the outer side of the eXserted portion being set back from the adjacent edge of the member so that wheel flange space is provided between the last mentioned flanges and the exserted portion and the head of a rail when the member is in position against the side of the rail the portions being so arranged that the tread of the rail is exposed along the entire length of the member.

2. A member for replacing car wheels having in the vicinity of one edge a flange having angularly disposed end portions, a flange at the other side portion of the member and alined with one of the portions of the first mentioned flange and having the upper surface of its outer portion elevated and inclined with relation to the intermediate part of the first mentioned flange.

In testimony whereof we afliX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FREDRICK S. LEONARD. J UNIUS Gr. DU MOND.

\Vitnesses:

ELMER DEXTER, J. HIPPLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

